Frank A. Russo, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Scientific Director of SingWell. He also holds appointments as Status Professor of Speech-Language Pathology and Music at the University of Toronto and Affiliate Research Scientist at the KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.
An internationally recognized leader in auditory cognitive neuroscience and music-based health interventions, Dr. Russo’s research examines how singing and music support communication, brain health, and social connection across the lifespan. His work integrates neuroscience, psychology, and rehabilitation science to develop evidence-based models that translate scientific discovery into real-world impact.
At SingWell, Dr. Russo provides senior scientific and strategic leadership, guiding research design, evaluation frameworks, and long-term innovation. He ensures that SingWell’s programs are grounded in rigorous evidence while advancing scalable, community-engaged approaches that harness the power of group singing to improve wellbeing and participation.
He is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science, and a Senior Fellow of Massey College.
Arla Good, PhD, is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Executive Director of SingWell. She earned her PhD in Psychological Science from Toronto Metropolitan University and has spent over a decade developing and researching singing-based interventions to support psychosocial wellbeing, communication, and health.
Dr. Good specializes in bridging research and community practice. She leads the implementation and translation of scientific findings into accessible, scalable programming that retains academic rigor while responding to real-world needs. Her work focuses on designing sustainable models of group singing, cultivating partnerships, training facilitators, and mobilizing knowledge so that evidence informs practice – and practice, in turn, strengthens the science.
Through SingWell, she advances a biopsychosocial approach to wellbeing, ensuring that research meaningfully reaches and benefits the diverse populations it is intended to serve. Her work has been supported by national and international funders and featured in academic and public forums.
Meghan Hila is an accomplished nonprofit leader and trained musician with over 20 years of experience in the arts and nonprofit sectors. She served for more than a decade as Executive Director of Choral Canada, the professional association for the choral and group singing arts sector, where she oversaw programs from conception to implementation, grew organizational budgets, and strengthened national networks. Before her work in arts management, she practiced as a music therapist in oncology and palliative care, giving her deep insight into music’s impact on health and older adults. A lifelong choral singer, she has engaged in all aspects of group singing programming—singer, manager, board member, and volunteer. Her work reflects a unique blend of artistic, managerial, and therapeutic expertise, with a sustained commitment to fostering learning and community through music
